Posts Tagged“long island wine”

Onabay Vineyards 2006 “Night Heron” Merlot

Onabay Vineyards 2006 "Night Heron" Merlot ($25)  is a blend of 86% merlot, 9% cabernet franc and 5% syrah. That syrah worried me a bit because Long Island syrah, particularly in a cooler year like 2006, doesn't often impress.. But I had no reason for concern. I like this wine quite a bit. A nicely extracted medium-dark garnet, the nose offers nice dark fruit aromas of black cherry, black berry and even a little blueberry, accented by basil, thyme and a little smokiness. That same dark fruit character, black cherry and black raspberry this time, leads on an elegant, medium-bodied…

Onabay Vineyards 2006 “Unwooded” Chardonnay

Onabay Vineyards is a new North Fork producer, but there is plenty of history, and talent, behind their wines. Their vineyard is 18 years old and veteran vineyard manager Steve Mudd watches over the vines while Bruce Schneider of Schneider Vineyards makes the wines. Beyond that, Onabay Vineyards, which was named as such because the vineyard is, well, on a bay, is a family affair. The Anderson family owns the 180-acre farm that houses the vineyard and has its members participate in every piece of the operation. Francesca Anderson, a renowned botanical artist, created the drawings of herons that appear…

Why the Pessimism, Howard?

In last weekend's New York Times, columnist Howard Goldberg penned a piece "More Trouble for Vintners" that paints an uneccessarily bleak picture for New York wineries in 2009. In the story, he points to Governor Paterson's proposed budget, the possible elimination of the New York Wine & Grape Foundation (NYWGF), and the closing of both Vintage NY wine shops (which only sold NY wines) as the reasons for "more trouble." All three could potentially be detrimental to Long Island and other New York wineries, but they are only a part of the story. A small sliver in fact. The closing…

Quick Q&A with Anthony Nappa, Winemaker, Shinn Estate Vineyards

Anthony Nappa (left), winemaker at Shinn Estate Vineyards, on the 2008 crush pad. For the first Q&A of 2009, we pose our standard questions to Anthony Nappa, winemaker at Shinn Estate Vineyards in Mattituck, NY. Anthony is still a relative newcomer to the region and is one of the East Coast's youngest winemakers.  What (and where) was the first bottle of wine you remember drinking? Outside of Boone’s Farms when I was young, I didn’t drink much wine except on holidays with the family, mostly Italian wine or homebrew. Asti Spumante at Christmas dinner or Thanksgiving is still a favorite.…

Merliance 2005 Merlot

Merliance is a wine co-produced by the members of the Long Island Merlot Alliance: Raphael, Pellegrini Vineyards, Sherwood House Vineyards, Shinn Estate Vineyards and Wolffer Estate Vineyards. This is only the second vintage of Merliance, but each year, the member wineries choose two barrels from their own cellars that they feel best represent their own individual style as well as Long Island’s unique terroir. For those keeping score at home, that's ten barrels of 100% merlot from five wineries with five winemakers with five differing styles. Under those conditions, crafting a wine that not only retains true Long Island character…

Sherwood House Vineyards 2005 Sherwood Manor

Sherwood House Vineyards is a North Fork winery that flies under the radar. They have a tiny little tasting room — the smallest I've ever seen — nestled amongst their vineyards where they pour their Old World-styled wines. Their winemaker is Gilles Martin, formerly of Martha Clara Vineyards, who makes wine for a few other smaller local producers. The focus at Sherwood House is set squarely on merlot and chardonnay, with cabernet franc and a couple different roses also in the portfolio. This wine, their Sherwood Manor ($45) red blend is the newest edition (with a blanc de blancs coming…

Quick Q&A with Frank Scarola, Owner, Scarola Vineyards

For this week's holiday edition of the Q&A, we pose our questions to Frank Scarola of Scarola Vineyards, a still-new producer that definitely flies under the radar. The wines are made at Wolffer Estate under the watchful eye of Roman Roth, but the Scarola family has plans for a tasting room on the North Fork, hopefully soon. As with many new producers, they are playing the waiting game with the New York State Liquor Authority. In the meantime, the wines are available directly from the Scarola and at a few shops in the tri-state area. What (and where) was the…

New York Cork Club: December’s Selections

This month, I've decided to do something a little different with the New York Cork Club, the New York wine club that I manage with Greene Grape Wine Company in Brooklyn. In most months, I pick two wines from two different wineries (and often from two differnet AVAs) This time, I picked two wines from the same winery, Lenz Winery on Long Island's North Fork. With the holidays coming up, I wanted to send two different types of wine — one that members can open at a party (affordably) and just simply enjoy drinking and one that was a bit…

New York Wine News and Notes (12/8/08)

A few New York wine news items from the last several days: Shinn Estate Vineyards 2005 Estate Merlot was mentioned over on Eric Asimov's wine blog, The Pour, last week. Eric has long been a proponent for Long Island merlot and I think this wine, year in and year out, is one of his favorites. (Read my review) Shinn Estate also received an 89-point score from the Wine Spectator for their 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, a wine that I've not tasted. Juan Eduardo Micieli-Martinez, winemaker at Martha Clara Vineyards, also let me know that Premium Wine Group, the custom-crush facility where…

Miceli Vineyards 2001 Merlot

Even if you're a big Long Island wine fan, you may not know Miceli Vineyards. And you probably won't either. I hadn't heard of them either until I ran into Chris Miceli at a wine shop where he was pouring some wines a couple years ago. For years, he grew merlot, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc in his vineyard in Mattituck and sold the fruit to local wineries, including Pellegrini Vineyards. In 2001, presumably because it was such a good year, he decided to make some wine of his own. He has since sold the vineyard, but there are a…